Orland High players were riding high last year, developing a swagger suggesting they were one of the top Northern Section teams to be reckoned with.

Then their season began.

The Trojans, playing with what coach Jason Bragg described as outright overconfidence, tumbled to an 0-4 start en route to a final record of 6-21 (1-9 Butte View League) and last-place finish in the BVL standings.

Fortunately for Bragg, almost every player from that group returns this season, hungrier and more aware than ever that talk is cheap if it can’t be backed up on the court.

“We had a lot of juniors on the team coming off of successive league titles in their freshmen and junior varsity seasons,” Bragg said. “They found out the hard way that it’s different when you’re playing varsity. I tried telling them at the time. I’m happy to say now that it’s obvious they’ve learned; you can tell they worked their butts off to prepare for this season.”

All five starters return, including forward Andrew Anaya, who was second-best among BVL scorers last year with 19 points per game. Like most players on the team, Bragg said Anaya struggled with being consistent last season and that the senior standout has the potential to post even bigger numbers.

Anaya will be surrounded by good size in the frontcourt, with 6-foot-4 power forward Sean Huff and 6-foot-5 center Matt Smith providing a daunting presence under the basket for Orland. Scrappy 6-foot-3 forward Travis Johnson should also contribute heavily down low.

In the backcourt, point guard Alex Melendrez heads a group that includes fellow seniors Matt Lister and Ryan Olivares, along with juniors Hector Hernandez and Chris Marici. Bragg said guard play will be crucial in the Trojans’ drive for a BVL title — a conceivable goal for the group of veterans if they can remain focused.

“They got smacked between the eye-balls last year, which was good,” Bragg said. “They were slapped in the face, they woke up and have gotten better.”